Forever by your side
by NightshadexThexNumb
Summary: kitexblackrose A bad situation drives young Kite to the extreme. Leaving home for good. or so he thinks Can this runaway teenager escape the wrath of his life for long?
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own dot hack or any of the characters

Eh, I just recently started getting into the .hack// series. I've beaten all the games and watched most of the episodes from every season of it. So personally I think I have the gist of the storyline and what "The World" is basically about and what goes down in it. Although when I say "watched" I mean "Skimmed" and when I say "beat"…well… I guess I did mean beat instead of something else :) well this is my first fan fiction so go easy on me…

Blackrose- Akira hayami

Kite- Kaito or the nickname Kai…I'm not sure if the name is correct but when I went to a site, this name was printed under the picture…

Terajima Ryoko- Ryoko

Gardenia

Balmung (Appears in later chapters)

Orca- yasuhiko

Marlo (appears in later chapters)

Wiseman (appears in later chapters) 

Natsume

Moonstone

Some people don't have rl names for the fact that they don't have any outside of "the world" role. Either that or I just don't remember at the moment. I would look the names up in the game but I'm too lazy at the moment and my friend has it …sorry for that little disappointment. And now without any further putting this off, here's the first chapter of my fan fiction! (By the way, this is post quarantine)

**To: Kite  
From: Terajima Ryoko  
Subject: Just worried…**

_**Kite, it seems like we've been drifting apart lately and it worries me a little. I want to play "The World" with you again. Not having you around isn't fun at all. I guess what I'm trying to say that I miss you. blushes I also remember telling you that you're my only guy friend and I really don't want that to end…**_

It had been several weeks since the player of the character Kite had been online playing "The World". Most of that was due to issues in his real life. But those were left unsaid to his online friends. The game addicted teen read the message over and over again; feeling a little bit flattered by how much Ryoko seemed to actually miss his company. Not many others seemed to have that same concern. Although this was the first of the new messages that were opened. Still waiting for a reply was, Natsume, Sanjuro, Moonstone, Mistral, and another message from Natsume. But for now the boy had to focus on his reply to Ryoko.

**To: Terajima Ryoko  
From: Kite  
Subject: RE: Just worried…**

_**Sorry Ryoko, I've just been busy and I've also had a lot on my mind. It kinda gets in the way on my Online time…ya know? But next time I log in We'll definitely play together again! **_

The entire time that Kai had been typing that last reply, many things from the past had flashed through his mind. Like would Ryoko be the only person who even missed Kite while he was gone? Would anyone else even care enough to ask what was wrong and why he was gone? Probably not. Definitely not Blackrose either. The terms those two parted on weren't the best. Most likely she wouldn't want to talk to Kite in quite a while. It might take a while for her to cool off knowing Blackrose and her temper. The thought made the boy laugh a little bit. Honestly…For Akira to be angry with Kai just for talking about his positioning at home and how it wasn't the best, it seemed a little bit childish. It was an honest statement. Maybe she's mad because of the fact her life might be a little worse then my own…I shouldn't have been so inconsiderate.

Just thinking about what was happening between those two was just painful. Someone that he cared deeply about was peeved because of a stupid statement that was made on his part. Next…Kite thought to himself before going back to his mailbox. He read through the list of people whose messages he has yet to open. Whoa…Natsume messaged me twice…might as well see what she wants…With that in mind, Kai clicked her first message.

**To: Kite  
From: Natsume  
Subject: No Subject**

_**Hey Kite! It's been forever since we've played! I've been trying to get a lot stronger! I think you'll be surprised at how much better I've gotten. But of course I won't be as good as you…You're just amazing… **_

It crossed the depressed child's mind to just not reply to that message. There was really nothing else to say to that. At least nothing that was fitting the current mood of his. And plus, he wasn't feeling all that "Amazing" in the first place. The boy already read the first message so he thought that he should read the second one was well.

**To: Kite  
From: Natsume  
Subject: Is everything…**

_**Is everything alright? You've been distant from "The World" As far as I've noticed. Sometimes I just wait to see if you'd sign on or not. Its hard being away from you and being happy…For the past few weeks I've been wondering what our status is? I mean….I really like you and I want to know if you like me as well…Or if it's just wishful thinking on my part…please write back to me soon… **_

Kai Cringed. This odd feeling in the pit of his stomach started to rise. Obviously he knew that Natsume liked him for a while but chose not to think too much of it. No one had really liked him too much because Kai was always the quiet and resigned type. People usually avoided him as well with the exception for the few friends that were present in "The World". That wasn't really something to dwell on. The only thing that really should be thought of was what he was going to say. Letting someone know that the feelings that they have couldn't be returned wasn't easy. Kai was the type to be completely honest and soft-hearted. Turning someone down wasn't his specialty either. Seeing as how there was the "lack of experience" in the dating column in his life. If Natsume wanted an answer she was going to get it whether she liked it or not.

**To: Natsume  
From: Kite  
Subject: RE: Is everything…**

_**Let me get back to you on that…I don't know what I'm feeling right now…I'm just mixed up is all. No offense or anything… **_

Nothing else could be stated. This would keep Natsume from being hurt and this would make things less painful for the two of them. Well on natsume's part anyways. The pain would be ten-fold on Kite for the fact that eventually he would have to end the little act he was putting on. The act that he had some feelings in that way for the female twin blade. Maybe in time they will grow but not right now. Things were all too messed up to make a decision that major. Next Kai sighed.

**To: Kite  
From: Moonstone  
Subject: return?**

_**...Adventure? **_

"Even Moonstone wants to have a little adventure with me?" The confused tone within the boy's voice was easy to detect and he raised a questionable eyebrow. Why would Moonstone want to play with Kite too? Did the anti-social twin blade think of Kite as a friend? Most likely so. Even though he has a tough outer shell, Moonstone is a friendly guy once someone gets to know him...if he lets you. Kai chuckled and placed a palm to his forehead, sliding his fingertips down and pinching the bridge of his nose. "I guess I'll read the rest later..." The moment his sentence was finished, Kai heard a beeping sound come from the computer. He looked to the upper right-hand side of the screen and saw a "New message Icon". He could've only guessed who it was.

But before the teen could even come up with a reasonable reaction, his jaw dropped as a reflex. The message was from Blackrose. Surely she was going to just vent even more then she did last time and make Kai feel even worse, but...maybe this time it could be a good thing. Maybe this would be the chance for Kite to make peace if all trust was broken. This was probably his only chance to make things up.

**To: Kite  
From: Blackrose  
Subject: No subject**

_**∆ Hidden Forbidden Holy Ground**_

And don't you dare just log out on me this time! 

He gulped and closed his eyes, Xing out that piece of mail. That was all that it read and it seemed by the looks of it that Kai was definitely going to get yelled at for talking about how bad he has it sometimes at his house. Akira... The heavy blade player's name echoed through the twin blades mind. It was just a slight reaction but he reached and put on the head-piece for the game and sighed softly.

Now gating into the world was his Character, Kite. Cerulean hair, two red markings on each cheek, Outfit of red with white sleeves that come down to his beige gloves. In his grasp of course were his twin blades. The characters in "The World" Usually don't have colors that consist of red which is why the coloring is a bit unusual for most. But that wasn't something major though. Stepping forth to the chaos gat, Kaito was mentally preparing himself for the worst. Even though Kite had a hunch of what Blackrose wanted to say to him, that didn't mean that he was going to be right. Akira is one of the most unpredictable people out there.

Kite looked left and then right to make sure no one was actually planning on following him considering he needed this one on one time. If anyone else knew that he was online playing the world, most likely a riot would break out. For some reason people just had that sort of thing for Kite. He didn't quite understand the whole situation about that, himself. But that was due to the fact he was an oblivious teen. That couldn't be helped considering day in and day out; he spent his life in his room away from the rest of the world. Kaito just hated the drama people always tended to start. So he figured it was always best to just lay low under the radar. Kaito's character materialized from Delta servers root town and was on his way to meet Blackrose and confront her about this little issue that they were having it was about time that they had a resolution for it. The silence between the two was so unbearable and it ate at Kite so much that he almost broke down every single night.

Once Kite had appeared in front of the cathedral, He could see Akira's character sitting on the steps, looking as if she was patient for once. Uh oh… He sweat dropped and made baby steps towards the cathedral steps. From the way it looked, his expression was blank. No fear of what might happen. No curiosity. Nothing. He'd been working on hiding everything away so he wouldn't have been an easy read this time. That was usually the downfall of Kai. But this new found depression had made the task of hiding away every emotion made this easier. The male player muttered the other's name under his breath and watched her rise as if she were beckoned. His gaze was locked upon the heavy blade. Her magenta threads that tumbled down her cheeks and to her lips. Her Perfect tan skin with not one flaw to be detected. Those Crimson optics of hers that shimmered in the artificial lighting of the area. Truly a vision of perfection.

"You wanted to see me…" He simply stated in a monotonous voice.

The female player nodded her head and the obvious hint of sorrow could be found just by scanning her features. She knelt down and placed her body-length blade against the surface and then continued her way towards the melancholy twin blade. "Look Kai-"

"It's Kite…" He corrected before she was even able to finish his name.

"Fine…_Kite_," She sent a bit of frostiness in her tone to try and make him stagger back like the normal shy Kai would've done. Obviously there was no trace of that self left for the time being. Although she had a slight suspicion that he was only putting up a front so she wouldn't be so hard on him because of how upset he was. Except the one thing about that was that she didn't plan on being hard on Kite in the first place. "Look Kite…I want to say I'm sorry for getting mad at you. It isn't your fault. I just didn't tell you my own situations in my home. It isn't that great…And when you said that your life was bad, I guess I kinda took it as you were saying you had a horrible life worse then most others…you know sometimes I think too much into things…"

Blinking a few times, Kaito felt his hands begin to tremble against his controller a little bit from the previous statement. Could she really be apologizing to him? That's completely unlike the Blackrose that he knew. What made her have this sudden change in character? Could she possibly miss Kite just as much as he missed her? That might have been what brought out this new side.

"…Blackrose…"The softness returned to his eyes and a warm smile crept upon those lips of his. This meant that most likely the whole stern, emotionless act would be stopped. He could see Blackrose drawing a smile of her own. "I have to…say that I'm sorry for being so insensitive. I didn't think that…someone…someone so perfect like you would have family issues like me." Kite took a small step closer, leaving a gap only about a yard wide between the two. There was a brief moment where the twin blade wielder felt a sudden rush of happiness course his through his veins. This was the first time anything like this had ever occurred for Kaito. It was somewhat strange but at the same time it was very relaxing and invigorating.

Outside of "The world", Kai was honestly feeling a little bit calmer then he previously was. The tense grip on the controller was now less harsh, and the emotions that were in the mix were indescribable. It was hard to explain how one would feel in a situation like this one. A quick gesture with one finger, indicating for the female to wait for one moment was made. The character became completely still and Kaito lifted his face piece, setting it upon the desk that was residing in the northern corner of the teen's room. The leather chair slid back and rolled backwards to the center of the room. Next to the computer desk was the window which showed the drive-way which was a smooth granite color. It was empty which meant that for the time being his parents were gone. At least right now he wouldn't have to deal with their crap now.

Even though she did apologize, that doesn't mean she has any sort of feelings for me like I hope she does. The boy sighed and closed his eyes, folding his arms behind his head. I guess I'll just play the waiting game for now. Maybe she'll come out and tell me eventually…At least I hope she will. Kai opened his eyes whenever he heard blackrose's voice coming from the head-set. It seemed like she was talking to herself about how she was feeling from what was heard. It might not have been exact but he pretty much had the gist of her little conversation.

Blackrose placed her hand at the bottom of her chin and let out a soft breath, staring at the artificial ground. "I really like him but I just don't think I can tell him. What if he just thinks of me as a friend or as a sister…? If I explained to him how I felt then that would just make things awkward…Argh!" She growled to herself and groaned in frustration. Along with that, she kicked her blade across the ground as well. Man…what a temper this wild girl has! Kite was listening in on the entire thing and decided that it was best to stay on Akira's good side. This little attitude spree was getting a little annoying so Kite decided that he had to do something to stop it.

Kite shook his head and laughed quietly to himself, shoving himself back to the computer desk from the center of the room. Hesitantly lifting his headset, Kai slowly set it in place and then placed the visor over to shield his eyes, but giving a good vision of the cathedral. It was standing tall before Blackrose and Kite's presence. The stone steps would've been extremely cold from the amount of vacancy that was in place because of the absent character but Kite soon enough took in a deep breath and was now moving once more. That motionless state probably made Akira very impatient and angry with Kaito. Then again, that wasn't really a shocker to him considering when the smallest thing happened; Blackrose would always have some sort of bad reaction with it.

"Hey, I-I'm back…" Kai's character mumbled from beneath his breath. Of course even though it was mumbled, Blackrose was mean to hear it and it became obvious that she did hear him whenever her gaze was switched back to the cerulean-hair'd twin blade. It almost looked as if she were shocked her would even come back and not just log out like he tended to do when things weren't looking so great. "Aheh :-)…"

The pinkette placed her hands to her waist and put on a pouty expression. She had that whole tough act in place but it wasn't fooling Kite this time. He knew that Akira had indeed forgiven him for his past mistake.

It may have been very petit but there was indeed a smile forming onto Akira's face as well as a small tear drop trickling its way down the player's cheek. And in a low and shaky voice again, she finally spoke. "H-hey…Don't you :-) at me!" A sense of déjà vu seemed to be taking place. Blackrose placed a fingertip to her lower lip and moved her way into a position that made it seem like she was in deep thought. "Didn't something like this happen before?

Now that he thought about it, Blackrose was right. Several times, in fact, have they had a conversation about the Smiley faces. It must've slipped his mind. It was obvious that after the second time he had done it, the pink- hair'd female wasn't too fond of the little emoticons.

On Kaito's end, a car door slamming echoed throughout the house. And considering he was up on the second floor and it was sent the message that obviously his dad was upset and angry about something that went on at work. Either that or he was in one of those moods again. Kai took a deep breath and was about to speak when he saw Akira's character raise her hand.

"Kai, Are you in some kind of trouble or something?" The obvious concern was enough to calm the teenage boy down a little bit but not enough to stop the obvious strain in his voice. "I'll just message you later if I see you're on…I hope you're alright. See ya" Three gold rings moved downwards around Blackrose and the next thing Kite knew, his friend had gated out. Now alone he stood in front of the cathedral.

"KAITO!!!"

Kai's head gunned to the side whenever he heard the father shouting his name in the most furious tone that anyone could possibly imagine. Just the thought alone of what his father might do is enough to strike fear into the heart of many. Especially one who's been through it several times. Quickly, Kai turned off the computer and tossed the headset into the desk drawer and unlocked his bedroom door, knowing that his dad would just rip the door off the hinge if it were locked. The sound of his dad's foot steps were beginning to pick up and the sudden rush of fear could be detected and alone seen just because of the amount of shaking he was doing. Fear was the only thing he could feel now. That and the sudden urge to just leave and never come back. Every single time his father was in this kind of mood, Kai always just thought of whether to climb out of the window and try to shimmy his way to the trampoline in the backyard. From there he would probably head to Yasuhiko's home. He knew already that his parents would invite him with open arms. Kaito was known as there second son already. Mostly because he was over there so often. Although he wasn't over his best friend's as much as he used to be.

There it was. The door was slung open as if it weighed nothing more then two pounds. Even less maybe. Kai's dad looked like he was only seeing red like a bull and from the looks of it, he would snap at any moment. Right away the boy knew what that meant. Here comes the pain...Right then Kai felt a blow straight at the side of his face. Along with that went the frustrated breath heaving in and out from older man ahead of him.

"I told you before not to be on the damn computer unless I'm watching over you!" Earsplitting. That was the only word to describe how loud the elder was being at the time. and followed up with the loud booming voice was another shout. "And where is dinner!? You know better then to have nothing done by the time I get back!"

The whole time his father was on this rant, Kai was trying his best to avoid eye contact. He learned before that it wasn't the best thing to do. While his dad was blinded by rage, everything that Kaito did was always wrong. Last time the teen made eye contact, the older man thought his son was trying to be intimidating and struck his son. "I-I'll get on it now. Sorry..."Such a cowardice voice. It sounded like a mouse just walking delicately across a wooden floorboard.

His father was aware of Kai avoiding his gaze and became even more infuriated then before. His hand placed on the game player's jaw and tightened harshly, turning Kai so that they were looking at one another. This meant he was almost done with the violent rampage. "Get...Everything...done...NOW"

All Kite could do is nod his head and obey.

……………

It was 1:15 AM , and Kai had finally finished doing what his father had instructed. It may have been such a hassle but at least the rampage was done and over with. And for that, Kite was thankful. Little did he know that when he logged into "The World", there was a message from Akira waiting to be read. There were indeed other messages that needed to be read as well, but Blackrose's was the only one Kai wanted to talk to. And seeing as how she was online now, he thought about going back to the cathedral. Kaito sighed and opened the message with a smile.

**To: Kite  
From: Blackrose  
Subject: Hey,**

_**Hey, you alright? Is that what you have to put up with? **_

By the time the message was finished being read over, the visor and head-set was already put on. Kite didn't even bother replying because he already knew that she would be waiting back at the first location those two had an adventure to. The character materialized in front of the steps where he correctly assumed Blackrose would be waiting.

Kite was the first to greet between the two. "Hey," 

"Hey…" The girl replied. She was still sitting down on the steps, looking forward and her eyes weren't even fixed on Kite. Her optics looked as if they trying to figure out what happened after her online friend logged out. She could only imagine the terror that he went through. "So...What happened between you two?"

The boy was swaying from side to side with the look of pasted across his face. Debation on whether he should tell her the whole story of why he never did talk about his family and above all else, what went on just a few hours ago. He did trust blackrose. Kite trusted her more then any of the friends he'd met in reality. Slowly creeping his way a little bit closer to the best friend he'd made playing this game.

"O-oh...Do you really want to know?" He glanced off to the side.

Blackrose shot a look in his direction and nodded slowly to reassure him that she was ready.

"He screamed, shouted, hit me, and made me do things around the house..." Although he didn't mention the part about how his dad threatened to take away the computer and kick Kite out of the house if he angered his father once more. This discussion was whenever the teen was cooking dinner. "But I have a plan now..."

Blackrose raised a questioning eyebrow and tucked her fist under her chin. "I'm listening."

The plan had been something he'd been working on for a few weeks now and by the way things mentally worked out, it might actually work. It was just going to take careful exicution. It needed perfect timing, and the right help as well. In this case, Yasuhiko was going to be the partner in crime. Hopefully he would agree to helping Kai get away from the tyrant of a father he had. 

"I wait for him to leave for work and the moment he leaves for work, that's when the time starts. I have six hours to get my important things gathered. Orca is going to help me with this one. We're going to-" Kite paused and looked at the severe expression on Blackrose's face. It seemed as if she'd already figured out what was going on. Matter of factly, she knew what he was planning from the very beginning.

"..." She couldn't think of anything to say now. Considering this was Kite's decision and his alone; Even though if something went wrong, she might not be able to see her best male friend for a while or at all maybe.

"I'm sorry...let me continue please...We're going to stop by his home for a few minutes to take a rest from our packing. His mom knows that me and Yasuhiko are going somewhere but she doesn't know why." This was one of those horrible situations yet he still was able to hold onto a smirk. It was somewhat of a triumphant look as well. That was because his idea wasn't finished and possibly she might actually accept the ending of it.

Right at that point, Orca seemed to gate into the area. His tall, masculine figure with the teal and white face paint was a major eyesore. The lack of clothes seemed to affect Blackrose every time she had seen his body. "Well? What did I miss?" The rough and mature voice was something unlike anything else. Loud and booming would also suffice for the description of his voice. "Oh and I have more news for you, I convinced my mom that we're leaving to go visit someone in the hospital that we met over 'The World'. I'm surprised she didn't ask me anything else about it!"

":-) Great!" The twin-blade took a few steps towards the blade master.

"Oh, I've also come up with another plan. Instead of just asking Blackrose for…" Before orca ever finished that statement, he watched her completely oblivious expression. It occurred that there was a lack of communication on this topic going around. "Ah, I see you haven't told her yet…" He rubbed the back of his head a little bit ashamed at himself for almost letting his tongue slip and ruining the surprise.

Akira made her character stand up straight at the mention of her name. Something was amiss and she didn't know about it and it was time to get to the bottom of this! The frustration became plainly visible for all to see. With that same pissed, Blackrose had stomped her way towards orca and Kite as if she were going to teach them a lesson. "Listen you, You better tell me what's going on right now!"

It could just be his imagination but Kai could've sworn that the way she was speaking, that was a hidden threat. That made him laugh. Of course he knew already that there was emptiness behind that threat. It was just a bluff to attempt at getting him to explain things that he was about to explain in the first place. And by the teen's side was his best friend Orca who as well was laughing. Naturally, Kite was the first to speak. "Me and Orca were talking this over and we decided that whenever we make our move this afternoon, we were going to make a stop."

Blackrose blinked and he posture eased and her eyebrow cocked upward in an inquisitive manner. "A stop?"

Kite nodded. "Yeah. We're stopping by your place to stay for a while. Is that alright with you?"

Blackrose gulped over her headset and a deep sigh was released. She watched Orca and Kite exchange looks for a second and then nodded.

Kite flashed one of his nervous smiles and let his lids slip closed for a second "By three, we'll finally meet face to face…"

Blackrose felt a small blush form under her visor and the look of shock was now taking over. But all she could do now was just nod.


	2. Chapter 2

15

**The meeting **

Author's note: Originally I was planning on finishing up this whole deal within a month or so but I got a little side tracked sweat drops But now I'm planning on finishing my lovely fan fiction at least before my birthday; which is in may. So now for those who have been waiting a while for me to actually finish a second chapter, you don't have to wait anymore! Because after this, every chapter will be done within a week give or take. TT this is only because I have no life. That and I've already had people force me into starting the second chapter already. There was originally a week long of a break planned in their somewhere but NOOO people had to get all mean and threaten my life ;; cries I guess we all can't get what we want. Too bad…

Oh I forgot to mention before in the first chapter that I'm bringing into this story a character of my own. I'm completely making him up to my desire and you all will have to live with it…Personally I think it'll bring a lot more controversy to the fan fiction. I think this one is going to be interesting sinister laughter

Some character mentioned in the previous chapters will make an appearance. Anyways it's time for me to finally finish this whole thing. I should have a new chapter every two-four days. I hope you like this one as much as I do…Well…As much as I like the outline I mentally made (-.V) --never plans anything out and writes everything on a whim . I swear this is going to be the death of me.

The time was drawing closer and closer. The time where Yasuhiko and Kaito make their move. After the two had asked their female companion if it were alright for them to reside in her household for a few days, the characters nodded to each other and just logged out of the game. Little did Akira know that the moment the conversation ended, the true plan had begun. That second, Yasuhiko took the time to work on his part of the operation and within minutes, Kai's friend was over to help with the whole thing. The time to initiate the movement was now. The execution had begun…

Back and forth, the two boys continued to silently pack and send over only the necessities; which consisted of: two weeks worth of clean clothes, his electronics of course, and the most important thing to anyone who had a lot to deal with, music. One of the only things to calm him down from one of his father gruesome rampages was the mixture of different music. Either that or just log into "The World" And stay in one place where not many people would travel to. He found it best to just keep himself alone and away from the rest of the world whenever he needed to cool off. Usually it was at the place where everything had begun. ∆ Hidden Forbidden Holy ground.

The pace was beginning to slow down because once again, Kaito's mind was elsewhere. Although parts of his thoughts were around the fact that if he was found out by his father that would mean big trouble for the two of them. This was putting second thoughts in Kite's head. If he and Yasu did end up getting caught, what would happen to dear Akira? Knowing his own dad, she wouldn't come out of this whole issue unscathed. He would harm her as best as he could. It's always been that way. Whenever someone would try and help young Kaito, his father would hurt the one's Kai cared about. That was something he wouldn't be able to live down anymore.

"Kaito, don't worry about it…You're so readable…I won't let anything happen...I've thought this through for a while and I don't think we'll get caught…" Yasuhiko sounded as if he were quite sure of himself this time. Although he usually was sure of things when it comes down to his plans. They never really failed that often. Even though Yasuhiko seemed very confident with the idea, it also looked as if there was something deep inside that was hidden…Some important factor of the plan? It was hard to tell sometimes what Yasu was thinking. Such a complex mind. The only thing that actually stuck out was the amount of worry that was shown. It was just pasted behind a smug and reassuring look. Kai just chose not to say anything about it because he wouldn't have hid anything if there wasn't a good reason for it.

By now the friends were at Orca's player's home, tucking away the last of the materials that were being brought along. Outside was yasuhiko's mother waiting for them to finish up with having everything securely packed to make sure nothing would break and/or tip over to make a mess in the back.

"Hey Yasu, how long are you going to be staying with me for?"

"Hm? Maybe about a few days at least…I mean just to make sure you're alright and that you'll be ok with Blackrose." He sat himself in the backseat of the van along with Kai.

"Well I'm glad that at least you're going to be there with me for a while…I need someone with me that will help me adjust a little bit…you know?" Kite laughed nervously and glanced down at his skin-tight black denim jeans. His long brown strands tumbled down his cheeks, some pieces of thread-like hair strolling over to cover his eyes. The pale skin stuck out more then anything else in the van. Most people would notice his dark blue eyes which most thought was absolutely gorgeous and breath-taking. Kai smoothed his hair down a little bit, letting the strands hang lower. At first glance, people usually noticed that, unlike other teens, Kai had not one single blemish or skin imperfection that was visible by the human eye.

Yasuhiko nodded his head and felt the car bump down and then back up. His mom had entered the van and revved up the engine. Her son smiled, looked at the car digital clock; which indicated that it had taken a few hours to pack everything. All he did was nod his head, letting his mother know that they were ready and had all of the luggage and supplies. Slowly creeping backwards, the pulled out of the driveway and started off to the airport.

Each passing second continued to make Kai worry about whether this idea would actually work. So many flaws could be found, but it would take a clever mastermind to actually figure out what they were. All that was really needed to mess up with plan was if his dad asked Yasuhiko's parents where they were, more then likely they would be found out. "I have a question. Could you not tell my dad about this…I'm going to bring him back a surprise for him…" An obvious lie considering everyone knew how strong the dislike for his father was seeing as how he never really talked about him all that much. That and whenever someone asked about it he would immediately change the topic.

Yasuhiko caught on to what Kai was exactly thinking. _Once again Kai…you're so readable..._At least to his best friend it was an easy read. "Hey Kaito, what do you plan on doing once we get off the plane? I mean you can't possibly know your way around without ever being there before…"

Kai laughed to himself. Actually he never did tell his friend about this but while Yasu was on his way over, Kai asked Blackrose to meet them at the airport so they wouldn't get lost. Extra pre-cautions are such a good thing when it comes to actually wanting to get to a destination in one piece.

"Let's just say I called in a few favors…some old friends…Oh and I'm throwing a party at a local hotel lobby." Kai chuckled.

"A party? For what occasion?"

"You'll find out…"

Car conversations definitely were not his specialty so the car ride to the airport was mostly nothing but silence. Kai thought that it was mostly due to the fact that he had been a couple steps ahead of Yasu when it came to planning. There wasn't much else that they could say to lighten the mood and make things a little less tense for the two kids either. It wasn't too much longer until they arrived at the airport that was by far, much bigger then they had anticipated. Planes taking off and landing constantly made the sound barrier shatter into tiny pieces. A buzzing sound was left in the two teen's ears. Those modes of transportation seemed a lot bigger in person then they had looked on television. Roaring, booming plane engines simultaneously spinning the turbines and lift the aircraft to life was beginning to seem extremely exhilarating. The sudden wave of excitement to just get one of these things and flee away from his father like a robin escaping the grasp of its prey. That pretty much sum up the current situation now that Kai thought about it. Although he really didn't have problems with running away like this. He actually thought that it would be healthy to just get up and leave. Even if his father did come storming over, there would still be a line of people to protect him.

Yasuhiko flashed over one of his simple little smiles in the other's direction. It was one of those "This should prove promising" kinds of smiles.

"What's that look for?" Kaito asked.

Yasu chuckled. " Oh nothing. I was just thinking about how interesting this is going to be." A louder laughter was let out from Orca. "The two lover-birds of 'The World' finally meeting together outside of the game." It was commonly known by everyone who had played in kite's party that he had major feelings for Blackrose. Although it was denied up and down by Kai. Stubborn men.

Kai scowled at his friend and walked through the metal detectors that were placed inside of the airport. . Placing his bags onto the conveyor belt, the officers began searching for any sort of illegal substances. Of course he wasn't the type to be armed or do drugs. Personally he was against everything of that sort. Kite was never really the type of kid to get himself in trouble…well…besides the whole deal when he was told not to continue with Blackrose and his investigation back whenever "The World" was becoming corrupted. But Yasuhiko on the other hand was being stopped by several personnel and guards just because he refused to take off his chains and necklace. _I should've guessed he'd be the one to draw the most attention to the two of us…_ Kai laughed to himself and shook his head from side to side, stepping into the other line that leads to their plane and naturally, he was the first one on. Which meant he would get the first seat on the plane and off of the place. Nothing beats getting ahead of Airplane traffic!

"Stupid metal detectors…"

"Oh grow up." He continued to hold onto his smile whenever he saw his friend sit beside him. Window seats weren't really Kai's favorite seats on the plane. The fear of heights can get a nice "thank you very much" for that. "Why do you look so peeved?"

Yasu glared and was gritting his teeth against each other. Pure anger and rage. "They made me take off my stuff…You should know that I don't like to take my accessories off…." Not once did he even glance at his best friend which put a small hole in his heart.

"They are just trying to do their jobs. They didn't mean to victimize you or anything of the sort…If you just took off the chains, whether you wanted to or not, they wouldn't have made a big deal about it."

Orca's player nodded and continued gazing out the window with the intent to kill in his eyes.

_Please fasten your seatbelts everyone and make sure the aisles are clear for our flight attendants to help any of you with your needs. We will be departing for Asahi Yokohama. Relax and have a nice trip._

The two looked up at the roof of the plane and sighed heavily with relief. "Now it shouldn't be too long…" Kite couldn't help but let his lips remain in a smile that now seemed shatter proof. It could've been because he was going to spend more time with Orca…or because he is finally going to meet the best friend he's ever had In real life finally.

"Someone's anxious to go see Blackrose…" The way he had spoken the sentence was that of an obnoxious person. Kaito snickered and thought maybe Yasu was just jealous. But of course he wouldn't say that out loud considering his friend had the tendency to flip when Kai gave a smart ass comment.

The two boys exchanged looked and felt a vibration occur beneath their feet. And when they looked out the window, as they expected, they were leaving the ground behind them. And watching the plane fly off into the cloud covered sky was Yasuhiko's mother. From where the two of them were sitting…it looked like she was wiping away a stray tear that was strolling down her cheek.

"We'll see you soon enough mom…"

Kai looked at Orca from head to toe after hear his statement. He never really took the time to check out his style. His hair resembled much of Kai's but the only difference was the color. It was dyed a shade of raven black. Another thing that happened to be different was that he was wearing a well-fitting shirt that helped amplify the amount of muscles that were showing. And of course they both were wearing the same black jeans that fit nice a snug against their thighs. Sea-green optics flashed in his direction. "What…?"

Shaking his head, Kai laughed and looked away rather quickly and noticed the lack of people on this flight. They expected there to be quite a few more people then what showed up. Kaito sighed and leaned his head back, letting his lids slide closed. Now all they had to do was play the waiting game and eventually they would be with their partner.

_Kai…_

"..."

_Kai…wake up…_

"I don't want to…go away…" He felt his body turn away from the source of where the voice echoed from.

_Damn it Kite!_

Right at the time he turned, there was a hand that came across his cheek, sending his body tumbling to the ground. Something mentally hit him and caught his attention... _Kite?_ He glanced up to see there was a girl towering over his fallen body with Yasuhiko right behind her. "Blackrose?"

She nodded and stood up a little bit straighter, curling her lips into a soft and gentle smile. "I prefer Akira outside the game…" Taking her hand and placing it above her brow, she weaved her fingertips through her astonishing pink threads that were almost at shoulder length but stopped short. The skirt that she was wearing also stopped shorter then he would've imagined. Obviously Yasu noticed. He was practically drooling all over her black t-shirt that emphasized her chest.

"Yeah Kai, You were sleeping basically the entire time and so I decided to leave you here for a while so you could catch some sleep…I ran into Akira and she forced me to come back…" Something in his eyes made that last statement seem regretful.

"Yeah and then Kai would've been left on the plane and taken back to his dad…"

"…Oh yeah."

"…" Kaito felt completely embarrassed that he couldn't come up with one single word to say to the girl that he had liked for so long. Not even a stupid hello or hug! He was completely frozen. Immobile by the fact that he was right before the girl he so desperately wanted to be with. _Why can't I say anything..? Is it that hard to talk to a girl?_ Kai thought again.

Yasu picked up on what was going on and placed a fragile hand onto Akira's shoulder, throwing her an irresistible smile. The kind you would use when in the middle of flirting. "It's pretty obvious that he's tongue tied…I bet you'd prefer a guy who knows how to talk to women." He winked and moved closer.

Blackrose actually didn't hear a word that he said; she was fixed on trying to figure out what exactly was wrong. "Hey Kaito… You don't have to be shy around me. We've known each other for over a year now." Her smile grew a little bit more now.

"Correction…we've known each other for over a year now _in 'The World'. _ It's not really the same." A playful smile crept along his expression. He knew what she meant but it was always nice to say something a smart ass would say just to break the ice. He watched as she extended her hand to him and took grasp of it.

Feeling a little bit neglected, Yasu decided to just play around a little bit and see what exactly would happen if he made Kai seem like the flirty type…or even better…a pervert. He already had a devious plan all thought out and he just walk by as if nothing were happening. At the right time he struck. The moment Kaito tried to pull himself up, he nudged Blackrose and made it seem like Kite pulled her on top of him. Her hand on his chest and his hand around her waist. Both paralyzed by the sudden position thanks to the "help", whether it was intended or not, of their blade master team mate.

Kai seemed lifeless for how still he was now. Not even a statue looked as dead as he. "…" Once again, nothing more to say which made him feel even worse about being himself. Out of the corner of Kai's eyes he watched Yasu just stare with envy. That made him smile but he was still looking into Akira's eyes searching for any sign of whether she would be the one to pull back or not. Just then, he inched closer to her. He watched as she did the same.

Mere inches were the only gap between them. It was almost as if they were in a complete trance and were unaware that the other was even with them at the time. Inch after inch they continued to move closer. Kai's eyes closed then Akira's did as well. Yasu gasped.

"Kai's first kiss…how sweet." He laughed and pivoted, walking off of the plane again. "We're taking off in ten. That's when the attendants make a sweep of this plane." He grinned.

As soon as he walked away, the trance was broken. And when they had finally realized what was going on, they saw that a kiss almost took place. A brush of red painted across his face as he slid back. "I-I'm sorry…"

Everyone had left the plane and now it was the two of them alone. At least they would have some privacy. The first encounter they've made and they need to catch up on things. It's different hearing things in person then online.

"It's alright Kai…" She whispered still holding onto the pleased look. "Let's go. I want to show you around."

He nodded his head, pressing his palms against the rough ground of the plane, lifting himself up to his feet and held out his hand to help up Akira. When she was to her feet, they never let go of each other and as far as Kai was concerned, he didn't plan on letting go anytime soon. The airport central area looked pretty much the same. And to no surprise, there were the rest of the people he told to meet him. Everyone one of his friends from playing "The World" Showed up and were planning to have a day to themselves. Just hanging out as friends in the real world. The only reason he knew who they were was because they were holding up signs with hidden messages on it to indicate who was who.

"Let's see…Hiroshi is here…Balmung…Takumi Hino …Terajima…Natsume…Moonstone…Gardenia…Mistral…and that's all…Hm… I think I'm missing someone…" He recounted and then shrugged it off. Whoever didn't show up is just going to miss them. Either that or he would just send them an e-mail through his phone. That seemed to be the more logical option.

He whipped out his cell phone and like the wind, he breezed through every single one of his friends he met playing "The World" and told them to meet him out in the front gate. Simultaneously they all pulled out their devices as well and nodded, heading out to the front. "Let's go Akira…Oh…and before I forget…" He leaned over swiftly and paused right before their lips touch. He smirked at the pause when he could feel her breath pausing. "It's great to see you…" He whispered under his breath.

"It's…great to see you…too…"She was now the one crippled who couldn't move and just like a snap, Kai pressed his lips against hers. It only lasted a few seconds but it was still enough to send her into shock.

Kai laughed and twined his fingertips along with hers. "Come on…they're waiting…" Since there were abundances of people lounging around, it was hard to actually make their way through the crowds. Pushing against flash bags was harder then it looked. Especially when they are heavy set like most of the people. He looked back at Akira and still watched her shocked expression. The moment they reached the door, the two of them zoomed out of there and found the group of friends that they had met online. Breathless, he placed one hand on his knee. "Hey everyone…"

Balmung was the first of people to greet him. "Kite, it's a pleasure to see you again."

"Likewise Balmung!" He laughed nervously everyone shifted their eyes to him.

"That's Kite?" Mistral questioned. It sounded like she was implying it was a bad thing that he was the one and only Kite.

"Yes…I've met him once before. Orca, Kite, and I had quite a bit of fun then. I'm glad we could do this again."

Kite smiled and walked Akira over to Balmung. "So where's your Car? Or are we going to start walking everywhere? I don't think Wiseman would want to do that."

Balmung, Akira, and Moonstone looked around for Wiseman but they were completely oblivious he was only an elementary school student. "Where is he?" They said in unison.

"Ahem." A little child stepped forward. "Here."

They raised an eyebrow.

Kite let go of Blackrose's hand and stepped in front of everyone in the large group. "Alright everyone…I assembled you all here today for a reason. It's been one year since we succeeded in quarantining 'The World' and I would like to think of this as a little celebration…and it's also," Kite paused and looked down. "the celebration for when we all came together and became friends or like family…" He grabbed Blackrose's hand within his grab again and closed his eyes. "I want to thank you all again…for doing everything you could to help protect the game…"

Moonstone stepped closer and held his hand in the middle of the circle. "Forever friends…"

Kite nodded, placing his hand in the middle as well. "Forever friends…"

One by one everyone was placing their hands in the middle, saying "Friends forever" and "forever friends" as they did.

"Nothing will separate us." Balmung chuckled.

"I hope not…But for now…I stayed up last night helping Orca," He gestured with his head to the other one besides him. "And we haven't told any of you this yet but we're having ourselves a party…"

Akira blinked. "Where?"

"With the last of our money…when I say our…I mean mine." He threw a glare at Yasuhiko who was acting innocent. "Anyways. I rented out a Hotel ball room and Dining room... I hope you guys are going to have fun…And catch up on a few things too…It's been a while and you guys have had a long trip…just relax."

"I'll drive Orca, Kite, Terajima, and Blackrose…" Balmung offered as the ones with their name called stepped forward next to the older teen.

"Oh oh!!! I'll take Wiseboy, Natsume, Moonstone, Piros, and Gardenia!" An enthusiastic Mistral offered as well.

"It's Wise-**MAN**! " The child retorted.

Mistral giggled. "You sure don't look like a man!"

Kite held up a hand and pulled three pieces of paper out of his bag. " I have directions for all of you.." First mistral, then one to Balmung. The third piece was for Orca but he just chose not to hand that one over yet. So he held onto that one a bit tighter then the rest. "Balmung's group should be there in about a two hours. So don't wait up. The food, music, computers, laptops, everything should be set up for you guys."

Mistral half ran to her van. "Goodies!" The rest of her group followed without a word and the same thing went with Balmung's group.

Balmung held onto a smirk the entire time. "So it seems like you and Blackrose really have a thing don't you? Or am I just prying too much into your business for you to actually answer me?"

Leaning against Balmung's car was someone that I'm sure he didn't know. At least it looked that way whenever he stopped dead in his tracks. Either that or it was someone to whom he despised greatly. "Who are you?"

"A friend…or perhaps a foe." The feminine voice spoke. She pushed herself from off of the car and stepped a little bit closer, examining Kai closely. "Kite I presume?"

Kaito blinked a few times. Something was familiar about this girl but he couldn't pick up exactly what it was. It took him a few seconds but he finally had remembered! That line was said by… "Helba? What are you doing here?"

"Now is that a way to greet someone who helped you save 'The World'? You didn't even bother to send me an invite." Just like a few other people, the way she was speaking made her seem like she was being very obnoxious and that happened to get annoying very quickly.

"I did…I sent you an e-mail…Didn't you get it?" he cocked an eyebrow.

"No. I received no such thing."

"Well you must've gotten it or else you wouldn't know where we were going to meet…" He laughed, thinking that he had her trapped within his logic.

"That or I could've read your mail." He gave a polite chuckled of her own, looking at him with seductivity hinting in her eyes. "And I'm glad I came. You're handsomer than I imagined."

"But you're older then I am. Why would you think that?" He took a step back and Balmung walked in front of Kai.

"If you want to come then fine…Don't harass Kite though…After all… you have every right to go along with us…you did help with the quarantine." Balmung stated…although he didn't seem very happy with what his decision was. His policy of not talking to hackers apparently didn't work in the real world.

"I have my own car thank you very much. You don't have to offer." Helba winked.

"Good…because I wasn't planning on offering…" The icy tension between these two was beginning to irritate Kai and it was rather obvious how much this whole fighting thing between Balmung and Helba was troublesome.

"Please stop. Let's just go Balmung alright?"

"Yes…you're right… where are we going by the way. You never told me." Terajima followed Helba so now it was just Kite, Balmung, Blackrose, and Orca. Orca jumped over the passenger side front door and into his seat. It really must've been hard for Balmung to afford his drop-top Corvette.

Like a gentleman should, Kite opened up the backseat door for Blackrose and let her slide in first. And then on the other side, he sat next to her. "Comfy?"

"When I'm with you I think I will be…" She seemed to be okay now with speaking her mind. Whenever they played the world she found it hard to say things. Maybe it was because she just couldn't bring herself to be too open about someone she had never really met in person.

"Balmung…take to her house…I want to meet her family…And we need to figure out my whole situation as of where I'm staying." He watched Balmung unfold the direction to the hotel and written below were Blackrose's directions.

"Whatever you say…you're paying for gas…"

"Whenever I get the money I'll pay you…" Kai glanced at Akira and held her hand again and whispered to her. "It's not a problem if I go over is it?"

She blushed and shook her head. "No…I don't think they'd care…although having you stay the night is a different story…"

Kite beamed somewhat of an impish smile in her direction. "We'll see…" He said in a sinister tone that implied he had a plan in store. Usually they worked just like Yasuhiko. And the part where the plan was absolutely flawless was the only aspect that was missing. Things could always be worked out on the other hand. All he had to do was get his best friend to engage in this as well to perfect it. That shouldn't be too hard for the duo. A very short glance in Yasu's direction was made.

"Alright I get it…all you have to do is…" He paused. Most likely for the dramatic affect. That was the type of thing he just adored doing to people when he knew that they needed help more then anything else. It was his way of letting them know he couldn't care less about their problems. Well currently anyways. "Maybe if I didn't feel so left out at the moment I would do something about it…Maybe if you didn't ignore me just because you have.." He made inappropriate hand gestures inquiring sexual activities. "Forget it…I'll get you a damn plan."

Kite's eyebrows furrowed from the harsh words coming from his partner. Never before had he witness this. Could Blackrose really have had this sort of Impact on him? "Look…Yasu…You've been my friend for so long and I wouldn't let anyone come between us…please…I don't want you to be upset with me…"

"Look Kai, I'm just not used to being forgotten and I don't want you to forget about me and only remember Blackrose…" The eyes of both saddened teenage boys shifted down to the ground to show the amount of how upset they were because of this.

"I don't want to be the reason you two start fighting…" Akira looked to Yasuhiko and tried to force a smile. "I'm heading home. I want the two of you to make up…and when you figure out what you both are feeling then give me a call."

Yasu picked up on what she was implying immediately and nodded, turning away from Akira. "I'm sure we'll find our resolution sooner or later…maybe tonight before the whole party?"

Kai continued to look down at his feet, feeling ashamed for forgetting about Yasuhiko…After all, it was thanks to him that the whole plan worked in the first place. Without him…where would this entire plan have gone? Would it have even worked? Could Kite have even done the whole thing on his own? Of course not! Without the perfect cover-up and a supporting friend, such things would never have been able to be achieved. He faced Blackrose and tried to force a smile. "If you need time then that's fine…I'll e-mail you when we're alright. Is that ok?"

Akira nodded and turned her back to Kite. "That's fine…I'm gonna go check up on Kazu. He's supposed to be cleaning his room and my parents are sleeping." Truth be told, Kazu was actually very anxious to go to the airport and meet Kai in the real world. But Blackrose chose not to bring him along due to the fact he would be pestering Kite more then anyone else. That, and he would take away her time to be with her online partner.

"Tell him I said hey if you don't mind…and if you want to, you can bring him along to the hotel with us tonight!" The boy placed a soft touch to the back of his neck, rubbing very slowly, almost as if he were trying to show his embarrassment. That was exactly what he was trying to do. It was somewhat of a stress reducer for him. Nobody ever understood why something like that would stop his blushing whenever he was.

"I'll remember. And he will most likely complain until I do bring him to the place with me…is it far away from here?"

"We're taking a car aren't we?" Kite chuckled.

"Kite, would you like for me to pick her back up when she decides to make up her mind?" Balmung smiled and touched his chin with a fingertip. "I have no problem with it."

Kite shook his head and glanced to the side. "If you don't mind, I'll drive, Mizuki."

Balmung chortled and held his hand in protest. "Please don't call me Mizuki…It sounds too girlish if you ask me…And you can't drive."

Kai shrugged his shoulder and was a little shocked when he realized they were all outside of the car now. "Everyone has to try sometime."

A puzzled look was shot in his direction. All mostly confused by the sudden rebellious actions that were to be taking place. For Kai it was rebellious. Never before had he done something so reckless; besides the fact he had just ran away and is now throwing a party in the lobby of a hotel.

"Alright but you better not wreck the car. I just installed my last payment…" Mizuki re-opened the car door and sat back in the driver seat, slightly taken by Kite's bravery for everything he had done. Not once had he encountered a child willing to throw away their home life just to live in an area completely new. He sat in awe of this. "Let's get going…"

"Hey Akira!" Yasuhiko shouted when it was completely unnecessary. "I have an idea, why don't you and Kaito have a little date…you know, to see how compatible you two really are for each other. How about tomorrow?"

"It's a date then." She said in a quiet but sure voice. It was very faint but there was almost a tint growing…a small blush? Knowing that she was currently blushing, Akira turned and ran like that wind back to her home.

Kite smacked Yasu and groaned. "Why would you do something like that!?"

"To help you…" Yasuhiko touched his cheek where it stung.

"For what?"

"I'm helping you to win Akira's heart once and for all…"


End file.
